Focusing on the global competence of the Philippine products and technologies generated from research and development (R&D), the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) sets the stage for this year’s 11th Agriculture and Fisheries Technology Forum and Product Exhibition on 7-9 August 2015 at SM Megatrade Hall 2, Mandaluyong City with the theme, “Teknolohiyang Pangsakahan at Pangisdaan: Tulay sa Mas Maunlad na Pilipinas Patungo sa Pandaigdigang Kakayanan.
To highlight R&D breakthroughs and provide new perspectives on technology commercialization, 93 exhibitors, comprising of DA staff bureaus and attached agencies, Regional Field Offices (RFOs), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Regional Offices (BFAR-ROs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), international partner-institutions, R&D institutions, private sector, and other R&D stakeholders.
Senator Cynthia S. Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, serves as the keynote speaker along with Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala to give an inspirational message.
The three-day event is in line with the activities and program thrusts of the National Technology Commercialization Program (NTCP), a banner program of BAR. The event also opens opportunities for agri-prenuers and enterpreneursto capitalize on various R&D technologies that were already developed and generated, for the farmers and fisherfolk to showcase their own produce as well as for the private sector to adopt these technologies on a commercial scale.
As BAR Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar recognizes the strong partnership and significant role of its partner agencies in developing and generating new technologies for farmers and fisherfolk, the seminar series for this year will kick-off with presentations from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the WorldFish Center on the “Heirloom Project: Philippine DA Partnership FSSP” and “Aquaculture Future: Fish Supply and Demand Scenarios and the Sustainable Growth of Aquaculture in the Philippines”, respectively. Dr. Praveen Venkata Vadlani of the Kansas State University will close the afternoon session with a presentation on biomass technologies.
This year’s central display setting will feature the Department’s R&D program being coordinated by the bureau and the supported technologies that have yielded positive economic results. This year, it will showcase how the generation typifies modern technologies and their visual means of appreciation.
Among the highlights of the event will be the launching of the 2015 BAR Primer, an audio-visual presentation that narrates the bureau’s vision, mission and mandate as the country’s national coordinating agency for agriculture and fisheries Research and Development (R&D). Details include the R&D thrusts, BAR programs, client-oriented services, and major activities. Three books will also be launched, namely: 1) The Philippine Biofuels Industry, 2) Mineral Profile of Forages and Its Influence on Goat Nutrition, and 3) Pests and Diseases of Economically Important Crops in the Philippines. The last two publications were funded under BAR’s Scientific Publication Grant (SPG).
In line with the event, BAR will be staging the “It’s Soy Time”, a soybean cooking contest to be participated in by the 27 SUCs that are partner-exhibitors for the upcoming technology forum. The activity highlights the culinary competencies of the participating SUCs while further promoting the utilization and consumption of soybean through the food creations. (Ma. Eloisa H. Aquino, DA-BAR)
Posted by: Lynne Pingoy
